Leashes
by EndWillows
Summary: AU. Meg, Claudette, and the other survivors agree to join the Compassion and Morality Practice Program- otherwise known as CAMPP. And of course, they have no idea what they're getting into.
1. Meg

**LEASHES**

 **AU. Meg, Claudette, and the other survivors agree to join the Compassion and Morality Practice Program- otherwise known as CAMPP. And of course, they have no idea what they're getting into.**

 **A/N: Due to popular demand,** _ **Leashes**_ **has become its own story!**

 **I: Meg**

The room Meg is sent into looks like a classroom, and she has instant flashbacks to summer school. Damp atmosphere, creaky desks, moldy chalkboard, the works. She sits behind a graffitied desk closest to the door, in case she needs to make a run for it.

The fluorescent lighting in the room is giving the other occupants a sickly look. Meg sees many other girls, some her age, some older, and quite a few boys as well. None of them look like the potential future criminals that the website had described, but then, Meg didn't consider herself a potential criminal either. You screw up _once,_ and the authorities act like you're here to cause the apocalypse.

Meg picks at dirt underneath her fingernail as she waits for the orientation to start. A few more people walk in, filling in the remaining seats. A quiet hum of whispered conversation starts, curious questions about what people expected here. They die down instantly as the door opens once more, revealing a stern woman in a pencil skirt and heels.

She looks like the headmistress for a boarding school, Meg muses as she walks to the front of the room. Her graying brown hair pulled into a tight bun, glasses slipping off her crooked nose. The woman surveys the room, then gives one of the fakest smiles Meg has ever seen in her life.

"Hello, everyone." The woman beams. Meg's own cheeks hurt from just watching her. "Welcome to the Compassion and Morality Practice Program, or as we like to refer to it, CAMPP!" She waits a moment, as if expecting her audience to burst into applause. When it's clear that they won't, she clears her throat and hurries on. "We're so pleased each of you have decided to join our program to help reform the troubled ones in today's society! Let me assure you, the work you will be doing here is very important to the future." She surveys the group as if they were pieces of meat, and Meg resists the urge to scowl. "Now, before your tour of the prison, I'd like to introduce two of your peers." She nods to two girls at the back of the room, who start walking to the front. They look like exact opposites of each other, in Meg's opinion. One girl with short black hair and a fierce expression, the other with blonde hair and baby blue eyes. The only thing that looks similar is their age and the orange jumpsuits they're wearing.

"Everyone, meet Nea and Laurie." The lady at the front- had she ever given them her name? Meg doesn't think she did. "They've been two of the successful stories in our organization, and they'll be the ones to teach you about the CAMPP program and to help you adjust." Laurie offers a small smile to the group in front of her, while Nea just studies each of them. "As a matter of fact, they'll be handling the rest of the day, then showing you to your rooms. If you have any questions, please ask them. I must be off now- thank you for joining CAMPP!" She beams, before quickly exiting the room. Meg is fairly certain she just witnessed the worst introduction ever.

"Welcome, everyone." The blonde girl, Laurie, speaks up. She has a stronger voice than Meg thought she would have, considering she looks like she's about to shatter at any moment. "We're excited to have you with us here at CAMPP." The girl behind her, Nea, snorts, and Laurie shoots her a look. "I understand this is a confusing transition period for you, and Nea and I will do everything we can to help. Are there any questions to begin?"

A dark haired guy with a mustache raises his hand, and Laurie nods at him. "What exactly are we doing with CAMPP?" He asks.

"Well, CAMPP is here to help the troubled in this world." Laurie says. There's something off about it, though, like she'd rehearsed this before, but didn't really believe it. "Each of you will be assigned to a high profile criminal. You will spend all day with your partner doing a variety of activities. The idea is that your model behavior will "rub off" on the criminals, and that they will be able to reform and become normal citizens once again."

Another girl, one with glasses and dark skin, raises her hand. "When you say "high profile criminal" you mean what, exactly?"

"Most of the people in this room will be assigned to thieves or hackers." Nea speaks up. "However, a lucky few of you will be chosen to partner up with murderers."

There's a moment of silence in the room, before Meg speaks up. "You're joking, right?" Nea and Laurie both stare at her.

"No." Nea answers. "I'm serious. Look, most everyone in here has committed some minor offense, right? So your parent or guardian or the court or whoever decided you needed to be "straightened up" and do some volunteer hours. Well, that's where CAMPP comes in. You know how you see those motivational videos on the internet, where a prisoner is given a cat or dog to look after, and it encourages them to behave responsibly? It's like that."

"A serial killer isn't a cat." Meg protests. "We can't be expected to take care of them." She's surprised when Laurie and Nea exchange dark, amused glances.

"You aren't the caretaker..." Laurie says.

"You're the cat." Nea finishes. "Each of us is here to provide companionship to a criminal and incentive for them to behave. If they act out of line, we're taken away from them. We're essentially morality chains for the worst in the country." She crosses her arms, leaning back.

"There's no way this is legal." The girl with the glasses says. Meg notices her hands are shaking. Nea shrugs.

"You signed the waiver, didn't you? And you're being compensated for your time." Nea answers. Meg feels a twinge in her gut. It had been a lot of money, enough to take care of both her legal fees _and_ her mother's medical bills. Meg hadn't been able to refuse. "Of course, you also signed a confidentiality clause, so no contacting anyone in the outside world- not that you have phones anymore anyways. Your parents think you're in some sort of boot camp, being trained to be upstanding citizens, and they're also being paid a hefty sum to keep quiet." Nea shrugs again. "This is your new life now, so you'd best get used to it." Glasses girl looks like she wants to protest, but Nea continues on with her speech.

"Anyways, you won't be meeting your partner today. Today you'll be given a tour of the facilities, dinner, and a copy of the typical daily schedule. You'll also attend a course tonight on being 'sensitive in extreme cases', which should really be called 'How not to piss off the dangerous criminal you're now sharing your life with.'"

"After that, you'll head off to bed. At six tomorrow morning we'll round you up and you'll be introduced to your new partners." Laurie finishes. She looks around at all of them, and makes a brave attempt at a smile again. "I promise, it's not as bad as it sounds. We aren't mistreated here, by the staff or by the criminals. You might even come to form a friendship with them!" Meg tries to appreciate her optimistic attitude, but it's hard to do when she knows she just gave up her entire life for an orange jumpsuit and a psychopath.

"We won't get to leave, will we?" Meg asks, and she hates how her voice breaks at the end of her question. It's worth it if her mother is alright, but still… knowing she'll never see her mom or friends again hurts. Laurie and Nea both look at her, gazes slightly sympathetic, but also hardened by being exposed to this situation for much too long. How long have they been here? How many people have they seen break?

"No, you won't." Nea agrees. "So there's no point moping about it. C'mon, you leashes of the damned- on to the tour!"


	2. Claudette

LEASHES

 **II. Claudette**

Meg Thomas, she learns, is _not_ a morning person. When the fluorescent lights turn on without warning at 6 AM, the redhead gives a strangled groan and buries her head under her flimsy pillow. Claudette herself isn't used to being up at the crack of dawn, but she's never been one to sleep in, either. She's always gotten up at a good time and spent a few minutes in nature before the rest of the world invades it. But today, she has another reason for being up early.

Today she meets her partner.

Claudette quickly rises, slipping into the neon orange jumpsuit that was left for her. She brushes her teeth at the sink in the corner, polishes her glasses, and is ready to go by the time Meg and the other girl in the room, a tiny Asian girl named Feng Min, are getting out of bed.

"Why are you so excited?" Meg asks sourly, pulling her tangled hair back into two braids. Claudette shrugs.

"I'm not excited, really. I'm perturbed." Meg blinks at her, expression blank, and Claudette feels a blush rise to her cheeks.

"It means nervous, or worried." She explains. Meg scowls once again.

"I knew that." The redhead says defensively. "Are you saying I'm dumb?"

"No!" Claudette protests. "I didn't-" She's cut off when the gated door slides open.

"Wakey wakey, fresh meat!" A voice crows. Nea and Laurie step into the room, both looking virtually the same as yesterday. "Who's ready to meet their new best friends?"

Meg storms past Claudette and the other girls, out into the hall. Laurie frowns.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Don't worry about it." Claudette mumbles, looking down. This was why she hated meeting new people. And interacting with people in general, honestly. Why was she here again?

 _Because you got caught up with something you couldn't handle, that's why._ The voice in her head chides. Claudette sighs, following behind Feng Min as Nea leads the way out of the room.

It hadn't seemed like the worst option at the time, but this was definitely a mistake.

…

The breakfast they are served doesn't look terrible. Hash browns, a few small slices of fruit, a piece of toast. The only thing odd is the bacon.

"This looks like plastic." Meg says flatly, poking at the crumbly brown strips. "Why is it so overcooked?"

"Meat, particularly undercooked or raw meat, is considered a trigger to a lot of the criminal's psyche." Nea explains, finishing off her piece of toast. "In order to limit the potential for violent reactions from criminals and volunteers, you'll notice that some things are tweaked around here. It's part of Mrs. Carpenter's protocol for 'a safe and productive environment.'" Claudette notices that Laurie hadn't touched her rubber bacon at all. Did she not like the overcooked food? Or was there something else at work there?

"Who's Mrs. Carpenter?" Meg asks, shoving the plastic bacon aside. The only one who seems to be willing to eat the stuff was Nea, who was clearly immune to the food here by now.

"The head of CAMPP." Laurie answers absentmindedly, pushing pieces of fruit around on her tray. "You met her yesterday."

"Don't expect to see her much." Nea adds. "She only comes in when there's a big issue or she's showing government officials around in order to keep her funding."

"No complaints here." Meg answers, and Claudette feels inclined to agree. The woman had spent all of ten minutes with them before pawning them off on Nea and Laurie, anyways.

"So, do any of you have any last minute questions before you meet your partners?" Laurie asks, looking at everyone sitting at the table. Feng Min raises her hand.

"Yes. Why are we orange?" She asks. Claudette had noticed that too. Some of the other volunteers they had met were given green or blue jumpsuits, and then separated from then. Claudette hadn't thought it was a good sign.

"Orange is the color given to the "high priority" cases." Nea answers. "So the killers. Blue is the hackers, and I think green is other minor crimes? I can't remember."

"Anyone in an orange outfit like ours is part of our group." Laurie continues. "We'll be together for a lot of the time, doing group activities and the like. You'll rarely ever see the green and blue groups." Claudette raises her hand, and Laurie nods at her.

"Is that a smart idea? Putting all of the violent criminals together all of the time?" She asks. Laurie gives a rueful smile and shakes her head.

"No. But the officials don't really care, so long as no one dies. And there aren't enough resources to give each criminal their own personal system." Claudette thinks back to the check her parents were presented with, and frowns. The resources were there- they were just going to a different place. The prison cared more about keeping them quiet than safe.

"Do you have any advice?" One of the boys, Dwight, speaks up. "For us meeting the killers?" The table is silent for a moment as Nea and Laurie consider.

"Be careful." Nea finally speaks. "It's going to be scary at first, but there are a lot of measures in place to keep them from harming you. That doesn't mean you should test your limits, though."

"The criminals you're assigned to are new." Laurie adds. "They were only recently transferred to the facility and admitted into the program. This was done intentionally- it may not seem like it, but they have just as much at stake here as you do. They saw what happened to the last group."

"What happened to the last group?" Meg frowns. Laurie clears her throat, as Nea stands up.

"Don't worry about it. Now, stay here for a second. We'll be right back." Both girls get up and dispose of their trays, heading out the door and leaving the group in silence.

"We're going to die here." Meg groans, resting her head against the table. Claudette thinks about comforting her, but remembers their spat this morning and reconsiders.

"What did you all do to end up in here?" Feng Min asks. Claudette bites her lip. She really wasn't eager to share the worst mistake of her life with strangers she had just met.

"I stole a car." Dwight admits, quietly. His face turns red when he sees all the incredulous looks aimed his way. "What?" Meg whistles.

"Who would've thought." She grins at Dwight, who smiles hesitantly back. "I, myself, accidentally bought drugs from a cop." She shrugs, as if to say 'what can you do?' Feng Min laughs.

"I hacked a bank." She smiles impishly. "I thought they were going to put me with the hacker group, but then, that would probably be a terrible idea, wouldn't it?" She shrugs and they all laugh this time.

"I was arrested in a riot." Jake, the quiet boy at the end of the table, answers. He doesn't seem willing to say anything more than that. The man across from him, and the oldest one in their small group, shrugs.

"Fraud." Ace grins. "Don't do it, kiddos." They all roll their eyes at this. Ace was kind of the outlier in this group, but he seemed to keep the guys calm, so Claudette didn't mind too much. Feng Min turns to her.

"What about you, Claudette?" She feels a rush of dread in her stomach, and is relieved when she hears footsteps behind them. They all turn to see Nea and Laurie walking back towards them, with two men in orange jumpsuits behind them.

 _Killers,_ Claudette realizes with a shudder. Both were fairly tall- especially compared to Nea and Laurie, who looked like children next to them. One had dark skin and a tall, thin frame, while the other had pale skin and dark hair. It was their eyes that scared Claudette the most, though. They were cold, blank. Any human emotion in them-if it had ever been there to begin with- had been snuffed out long ago.

"Guys, meet Philip and Michael." Nea introduces. "Philip is my partner, for about a year now." Philip nods at them, but does nothing else. Claudette gets the feeling he's rather uncomfortable here. "And Michael and Laurie were the first ever team CAMPP produced." Neither Laurie nor Michael look particularly thrilled about this, Claudette notices. In fact, Laurie just looks strained, like she's waiting for disaster to strike.

"We're going to take you to meet your own partners, now." Laurie says. "But first, some final advice."

"Don't piss them off." Nea nods sagely. "I know we said so earlier, but it bears repeating. It's critical that both you and your partner remain calm, especially in the early stages. And remember, that this is your life now. There's no point in thinking back to your old lives. Things will be better for everyone if you accept that now."

"And finally," Laurie makes a brave attempt at a smile, "know that you're here for a reason. All of you were picked specifically for this program, and for your partners. That means someone out there has faith that this will work, right?"

Silence is the only thing that greets her. Claudette can feel her stomach knotting up from the anxiety, and a quick glance at the others shows they aren't faring much better.

"So with that, it's time for your partnerships here at CAMPP to begin." Nea grins. She walks over to a door and tugs it open, making a sweeping gesture with her arm. "Meet your new partners."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Due to popular demand,** _ **Leashes**_ **will become its own multi-chapter story. Just keep in mind that it'll take a while for me to completely write out the plot, and that** _ **Two Souls Bound**_ **will take priority over it. But don't worry, there will be more of the CAMPP crew to come!**

 **Thanks for the support everyone! I'll see you all next time!**

 **~EndWillows**


End file.
